Glenmead Primary School

Glenmead Primary School Glenmead Road, Birmingham, B44 8UQ

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Satisfactory 3 This inspection: Requires improvement 3 Achievement of pupils Requires improvement 3 Quality of teaching Requires improvement 3 Behaviour and safety of pupils Good 2 Leadership and management Requires improvement 3

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This is a school that requires improvement. It is not good because

 The progress pupils make in writing and mathematics is not as fast as it is in reading.  There is not enough good teaching to make sure that all pupils make the progress they could.  Teachers do not always demand enough from more-able pupils. Sometimes they do not provide good support for those pupils who find mathematics hard.  There are too few opportunities for pupils to solve problems in mathematics, or to write for extended periods of time.  Leaders do not use information well enough to know what progress they are making towards their targets for improvement.  Governors do not have all the information they need to compare accurately how well pupils are doing with pupils nationally.  Governors do not have a good understanding of how the extra funding provided by the pupil premium is used and the effect this has on pupils’ progress.

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The school has the following strengths

 Some teaching is good and most pupils make good progress in the Reception classes, Year 2 and in Year 6.  Pupils make good progress in their early reading. This success continues throughout the rest of the school.  Relationships are strong. Adults and pupils all get on well together.  Pupils behave well and feel safe at school. They work hard in lessons and respond positively to all that the school offers them.  The headteacher demands excellence. Other leaders, including governors, share her desire for all to do their best.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed 21 lessons. Some of these observations were undertaken jointly with senior leaders.  Inspectors held meetings with three groups of pupils, including the school council, and with senior leaders, teachers in charge of subjects, members of the governing body and a representative from the local authority.  Inspectors examined a questionnaire completed by 18 staff, along with 30 responses submitted by parents and carers to the online website (Parent View). They also had several dicussions with parents informally.  Inspectors looked at a variety of school documents including governing body minutes, school self-evaluation, school plans, behaviour records and documents related to the management of performance.  Inspectors looked at records showing the development of skills in reading and heard a number of the weaker pupils read.

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Inspection team

Mary Hinds, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Lesley Voaden Additional Inspector Philip Scull Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 The school is much larger than the average-sized primary school.  Most pupils are of White British heritage.  The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for the pupil premium (which provides additional funding for children from families who are known to be eligible for free school meals, looked after children and those from families with parents in the armed forces) is broadly average.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those who have a statement of special educational needs supported at school action plus is also broadly average. The proportion of those pupils supported through school action is below average.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress.  There is a privately run breakfast club and playgroup on the same site which are not managed by the governing body. They are subject to a separate inspection.

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Information about this school

 The school has specially resourced provision for primary-aged pupils who have special educational needs. There are currently only four pupils who attend this provision. All have speech, language and communication difficulties. These pupils are also supported in mainstream classes. The provision is managed by the school but funded by the local authority.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Strengthen teaching so that 80% is good or better by:  setting pupils work at the right level of difficulty which builds on what they know and are able to do, so that learning is always at a good pace  giving more practical support to pupils who find learning difficult  improving the quality of questioning so that teachers are better able to adapt activities in lessons to improve the pace of pupils’ learning  making sure that pupils have enough time both to learn on their own and with pupils in their class.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve pupils’ rates of progress in writing and mathematics by:  making sure that more able pupils’ learning is moved on at a faster rate so that they extend their skills, especially in mathematics  offering more opportunities for pupils to develop their problem-solving skills in mathematics and in other subjects  making sure that pupils are able to write for sustained lengths of time in literacy and in other subjects.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the effectiveness of leadership and management by :  making sure that all leaders, including governors, know how well they are meeting the targets they have set themselves for improving the school by referring to how well pupils are doing  linking teaching quality to the impact it has on how well pupils perform over time  check teachers’ subject knowledge in literacy and mathematics and provide tailored training so that pupils’ learning speeds up  giving training to governors so that they know how well the school is doing in relation to other schools and know how effectively the pupil premium funding is being spent.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Most pupils’ progress requires improvement. Some of this is the result of previous staffing instability. Although pupils make better progress in reading, more-able pupils are not making better progress in writing and mathematics, particularly in Key Stage 2. Pupils who find learning difficult are not always doing as well as they should. These two groups of pupils are not attaining the standards that they are capable of.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Pupils’ attainment in Year 6 in 2012 was average in English and broadly average in mathematics. Attainment in Year 2 was average in reading and writing and above average in mathematics. This is an improvement on previous years. Pupils make good progress in these two year groups.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Children also make good progress in the Reception Year. Their skills are below those usually expected when they join the school. They enter Year 1 with skills that are typical for their age. Adults plan work at the right level of difficulty. There is a wide range of exciting activities that incorporate a range of different skills. In one lesson the teacher skilfully reinforced the children’s counting skills while simultaneously encouraging them to practise balancing. They enthusiastically hopped on one leg if they had a domino which was two more than eight.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 The school has reviewed how it teaches pupils early reading skills. Pupils link letters to sounds at a much faster pace. They use this knowledge confidently when reading unfamiliar words. Older pupils read regularly in different ability groups. Their understanding of a variety of texts and appreciation of a range of authors is good.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 The school’s use of the pupil premium varies. Funding is used well to support pupils who struggle with their reading through one-to-one support. Although the gap in attainment is being closed, these pupils do not always achieve as well as similar groups, especially in writing and mathematics.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs make similar progress to other pupils. Pupils are well supported through a range of activities, for example pupils with emotional and social difficulties attend play therapy in a nurture group.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Pupils who attend the special resource base make similar progress to their classmates. They often make good progress in their communication and personal and social skills. They have a dedicated teacher who knows their capabilities well. Work is usually carefully set at the right level for them.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Much of the teaching requires improvement. Information from assessments is not always used well enough to set work at the right level of difficulty or to adapt teaching as a lesson proceeds.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Work in pupils’ mathematics books in some Key Stage 2 classes shows that too often teachers pitch tasks to meet the needs of middle-ability pupils. Work is either too easy or too hard for some pupils. More-able pupils complete too many questions that are the same even when they have grasped the problem, instead of moving on to more demanding work sooner.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Observations show that pupils are not always given the correct practical equipment to support their leaning, particularly those pupils who sometimes find learning hard. For example, some pupils were asked to subtract using the largest number first but they did not have enough experience about how ‘big’ numbers are physically.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Pupils are not always given situations to use and apply their calculation skills in mathematics or in other subjects. Pupils do not have enough time to work on their own and find things out for themselves.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Assessments of pupils’ attainment and progress are accurate. Pupils often check their own work so that they understand where they have made mistakes. Most teachers provide time for pupils to respond to their marking so that pupils are able to correct their errors.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Pupils now practise their writing skills much more in other subjects. However, they do not spend enough time writing longer pieces on their own so that they are able to make use of all the individual skills they have leant in previous lessons.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 There is good teaching in Reception, Year 2 and Year 6. This offers work which is set at the right level for all pupils. In a mathematics lesson pupils were asked to think logically to solve a series of problems, using their calculation skills. The teacher used focused questions to check pupils’ understanding and then extended their learning by asking pupils to explain and justify their thinking. This effective questioning to move learning on at a fast rate is not typical in all lessons.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils usually behave well. They are eager to learn. They are well motivated and keen to achieve their best.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils enjoy taking on extra responsibilities. School councillors talked enthusiastically about their role in choosing a new catering company to supply lunches. They take their posts as assembly monitors and playgroup leaders for the younger children very seriously.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Instances of bullying are rare and usually take the form of name-calling. Pupils are confident that adults deal effectively with their worries. Pupils expressed great appreciation of the care they receive from all adults in the school.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils are aware of how they can keep themselves safe, for example when using the internet, on the roads or around water. They feel well prepared for life beyond the school.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils are respectful of each other. They are tolerant and have a good understanding of different religions and cultures, developed through topic work and assemblies. The school develops pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural qualities well.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Some parents who responded to Parent View expressed concerns about how well the school deals with bullying. Some also felt that their child did not feel safe in school. A wide range of inspection activities found no evidence to substantiate their worries. Three groups of pupils were interviewed and inspectors talked to many pupils informally. Pupils were adamant that they feel very safe in school.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 The school has worked hard to improve attendance and it is now above average.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 This is an improving school but the rate is not fast enough. Leaders do not know how well they are doing because their targets cannot be easily measured against pupils’ progress to judge their success accurately.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 Leaders keep a close eye on how well pupils are doing. They know where pupils make better progress. However, they have not linked this information well enough to form an accurate judgement about teaching over time. As a result, some of their evaluations have been over- generous. Nevertheless they set appropriate targets for teachers to improve their work based on how well their pupils are performing.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 Leaders have a good understanding of what needs to be improved. The new English and mathematics leaders have made a start on making the necessary improvements and they know what they need to do to secure them.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The headteacher works extremely hard to improve the quality of teaching. She is well supported by the deputy headteacher. Together they show all staff what effective teaching looks like. Training has focused on improving teachers’ classroom practice and some key aspects of reading. Leaders have not yet undertaken a full analysis of teachers’ subject knowledge in literacy and mathematics in order to tailor training to their individual needs.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 Staff morale is good. Teachers, both new and experienced are keen to improve their practice; they share the ambition of senior leaders and are keen to move the school forward.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 Leadership of the special resource-base provision is effective in giving pupils the skills they need for the time they spend in mainstream classes.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The school communicates well with parents and carers and engages with them regularly. There are frequent newsletters, workshops to support parents and carers with their child’s learning and weekend family outings. The results of a recent questionnaire sent out by the school to parents and carers were overwhelmingly positive.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The school promotes equal opportunities appropriately and discrimination of any sort is not tolerated. However, not enough pupils make good progress in writing and mathematics.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The teaching of subjects through topics has improved since the previous inspection. There is a good range of activities for pupils to engage in, including cultural and religious experiences. Nevertheless, there are too few instances for pupils to write at length and to solve problems in other subjects.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The local authority provides ‘light touch’ support for this school because it also judges it to be improving. It has recently worked effectively with subject leaders and provided helpful training for governors.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The governance of the school:  Governors have a clear understanding of the school’s strengths and weaknesses. Since the resignation of the Chair of the Governing Body they have had to become more involved and as a result they are asking more searching questions. They prepare their own reports for their fellow governors of their findings after a visit to the school. However, they are not sufficiently aware of how well the school performs in relation to all schools nationally. They do not have a good overview of how well the pupil premium funding is being used and the impact this has had. The headteacher’s performance targets are set by the governing body. Governors receive reports on the progress teachers make towards their targets. As a result they have refused to reward teachers who do not bring about enough improvement. However, because the link between the quality of teaching and pupil progress is not sufficiently clear, it is difficult for them to

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The leadership and management requires improvement

be absolutely certain that pay rewards are always exactly matched to an individual teacher’s perfomance. They carefully monitor financial resources and make sure that statutory requirements are fully met, including those for keeping pupils safe.

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Grade Judgement Description

Grade 1 Outstanding An outstanding school is highly effective in delivering outcomes that provide exceptionally well for all its pupils’ needs. This ensures that pupils are very well equipped for the next stage of their education, training or employment. Grade 2 Good A good school is effective in delivering outcomes that provide well for all its pupils’ needs. Pupils are well prepared for the next stage of their education, training or employment. Grade 3 Requires improvement A school that requires improvement is not yet a good school, but it is not inadequate. This school will receive a full inspection within 24 months from the date of this inspection. Grade 4 Inadequate A school that has serious weaknesses is inadequate overall and requires significant improvement but leadership and management are judged to be Grade 3 or better. This school will receive regular monitoring by Ofsted inspectors. A school that requires special measures is one where the school is

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Grade Judgement Description

failing to give its pupils an acceptable standard of education and the school’s leaders, managers or governors have not demonstrated that they have the capacity to secure the necessary improvement in the school. This school will receive regular monitoring by Ofsted inspectors.

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School details

Unique reference number 103320 Local authority Birmingham Inspection number 404866

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School details

This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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School details

Type of school Primary School category Community Age range of pupils 4–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 386 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Mano Ladhar – Acting Chair Headteacher Hilary Allan Date of previous school inspection 20 January 2011 Telephone number 0121 464 3173 Fax number 0121 464 6344 Email address enquiry@glenmead.bham.sch.uk guidance ‘raising concerns and making complaints about Ofsted', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk . If you would like Ofsted to send you a copy of the guidance, please telephone 0300 123 4234 , or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

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School details

You can use Parent View to give Ofsted your opinion on your child’s school. Ofsted will use the information parents and carers provide when deciding which schools to inspect and when and as part of the inspection.

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School details

You can also use Parent View to find out what other parents and carers think about schools in England. You can visit www.parentview.ofsted.gov.uk, or look for the link on the main Ofsted website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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School details

achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children's social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, work- based learning and skills training, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for looked after children, safeguarding and child protection. Further copies of this report are obtainable from the school. Under the Education Act 2005, the school must provide a copy of this report free of charge to certain categories of people. A charge not exceeding the full cost of reproduction may be made for any other copies supplied. If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please

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School details

telephone 0300 123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may copy all or parts of this document for non-commercial educational purposes, as long as you give details of the source and date of publication and do not alter the information in any way. To receive regular email alerts about new publications, including survey reports and school inspection reports, please visit our website and go to ‘Subscribe’.

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School details

T: 0300 123 4234 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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